Apparatus for making contact copies



June 22, 1965 w. LIMBERGER 3,190,204

APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTACT COPIES Filed May 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lumvroz: WALTER LIMBERGER AGENI June 22, 1965 w. LIMBERGER APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTACT COPIES 2 Sheets$heet 2 Filed May 22, 1965 lNVf/VT 01? WALTER LIMBERGER copying sheets of books.

United States Patent 4 Claims. (c1. 95-73 This invention pertains to an apparatus for making contact copies and, more particularly, photocopies and prints, the apparatus generally comprising a surfaceilluminating device including a transparent supporting area or table with a pressure plate or cover which is guided at a side remote from the light source and serves to press originals and copying material into contacting engagement against the supporting area.

Devices of this type are known in various constructions. It is known, for example, to arrange the exposure light source below the support area and the pressing cover thereabove, or vice vresa. It is also common practice pivotally to guide the pressing cover on an adjustableheight hinge and to provide clamping means operable by hand. Further, it is known to guide the pressing cover in veritcal direction by rod means against or with the force of spring means; in such an arrangement an actuating lever is provided to lower or raise the pressing cover. In one position of the actuating lever the pressing cover remains automatically in its raised position relative to the supporting area while in another position of the actuating lever it-s contacting engagements with the supporting area is maintained. Furthermore, spring means are known for carrying, for example, the suporting area, or the pressing cover, e.g. in form of a pressure pad permitting automatic self-adjustment to compensate for variations in the thickness of the original. In certain of the conventional devices, such pressure pads are also made inflatable. In these constructions the pressing cover is locked in a predetermined position above the copying material and the contacting pressure is achieved by inflating the pad.

Furthermore, it is known to combine a surface-exposure device with continuously operating exposure means arranged within the pivotal pressing cover of the surfaceexposure device. Also combinations of surface-exposure devices with continuously operating developing devices are known. The latter includes in a conventional manner a bath for developing liquid and means for guiding the exposed copying material, in some instances together with another sheet of copying material, through the developing liquid within the bath container.

Such surface-exposure devices, sometimes used in combination with continuously operating exposure devices and developing devices, are afllicted with the disadvantage that they are only adapted for processing one size sheet, especially where the surface-exposure device serves in combination with a continuously operating exposure device for copying pages of a book or the like. Such surface exposure devices are usually dimensioned for a DIN (German Industrial Standard) A4 size of a sheet (827" x 11.9"), or a somewhat larger size for Especially when combined with a developing device these surface exposure devices represent a multi-purpose apparatus which, in more up to date constructions, particularly according to one disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,076,399, is operable in an easy and convenient manner since, in a space-saving construction, only one actuating lever need be operated in order to provide the pressing force and, if desired, to switch on the exposure light which is switched off by a presettable clock or timer means.

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Surface-exposure devices of this type may in practice, be made in any size whereby also larger sheet sizes may be processed. In processing larger sheet sizes, for example DIN A3 (11.9" x 16.54"), or DIN A2 (16.54" X 23.8") the pressure of the pressing cover requires, on account of its size, special provisions with regard to guiding and actuating. Besides, if such devices are used for making copies of smaller size an unnecessary expenditure with regard to the exposure light source is required.

The general object of the invention is to provide a surface-illuminating device, preferably sheet processing in combination with other devices as mentioned above, by which the treatment of diflerent sheet sizes is greatly facilitated and made more economical. However, con sideration should be paid to the fact that, in ofiice copying operations, of all the copies are of smaller size so that the use of a large-size apparatus has been uneconomical up to now.

The invention solves this problem in that the supporting area is several times as large as the area of the pressing cover, and that accordingly a plurality of selectively operable pressing covers are provided. In this manner a plurality of advantages are obtained. Copying from smaller-size originals is achieved just as easily as in smallsize apparatus without requiring additional expenditure. If larger-size copies are to be processed, for example DIN A3, or DIN A2, the apparatus according to the invention offers a sufficiently large supporting area to employ suchsizes, and only an additional pressing cover need be actuated.

According to a preferred embodiment, the supporting area is twice as large as a pressing cover and two pressing covers are arranged one behind the other, guide means being provided at the sides of the apparatus at least for the front pressing cover. In this arrangement larger-size sheets may be pushed from the front over the supporting area. In addition, it is possible in normal operation with smaller sizes to lock the rear pressing cover in its press ing position, thereby simultaneously providing an abutment shoulder for the sheet material pushed under the forward pressing cover.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a plurality of light-exposure sources are provided and are subdivided into groups corresponding to the area of each pressing cover, respectively; said lightexpos ure sources may be switched on separately, or selectively. Thus the economy of the apparatus is greatly improved and undesired heating of the rear pressing cover which may be maintained in contacting engagement with the supporting area, as previously noted, is prevented if there is no copying material between the pressing cover and the support surface.

If each pressing cover is provided with an actuating member for clamping it onto and lifting it off the supporting area, the invention provides one or more couplings between the actuating members of different pressing covers which are operable in such a manner that one, several or all of the pressing covers are selectively operable by one actuating member. In this arrangement also the switch for the exposure light source may be connected to the coupling for additionally switching on zones of the supporting area, whereby these groups of the exposure light source are switched on independence on the movement of said one actuating member. i

It is preferred to guide the pressing covers above the supporting area and to provide at one end of the suppb r ting area a developing device. In this embodiment at least two pressing covers are arranged one behind the other in spaced relation to an end of the device and with a separation corresponding to the width of the sheet size for which the developing device is dimensioned. For

- plate.

3 example, if the pressing cover is arranged below the supporting area it is possible to arrange additionally in the housing a continuously operating exposure device and shelves for a paper supply.

In the following the invention shall be described in connection with representative embodiments schematically illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the coupling between actuating means of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a'diagrammatic vertical sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a wiring diagram of a circuit for automatically switching different groups of exposure light sources;

'FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic partly sectional view of another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a sectional top view taken along the line VIVI in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing partly broken away, showing a preferred actuating device for a pressing cover.

The invention shall be described in connection with schematically illustrated embodiments since the principles for guiding the pressing covers are well known per se. Particularly preferred is the use of means such as are disclosed in the abovementioned U.S. Patent No. 3,076,399. It is to be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 of this application substantially corresponds to the ap paratus according to FIG. 1 of this patent with respect to the cover-guide means.

The apparatus (FIGS. 1-4) comprises an elongated lower housing part 1 provided with a step-like extension 2 at its narrow side. Arranged within this step-like extension 2 is a continuously operating conventional developing device 3. The extension has an inlet slot 4 and an outlet slot 5; below the outlet slot 5 a pair of squeezing and transporting rollers 6 are arranged. This device includes a bath container 7 through which guide elements for the sheets at least partly extend.

The top of the elongated housing 1 is covered by a transparent supporting area or table 8, for example a glass Below this supporting area two planar arrays or groups 9, 10 of exposure-light sources are provided and are suitably separated from each other by an upwardly extending partition 11 terminating below the supporting area 8 and parallel to the narrow sides of the housing. Each of the groups of exposure-light sources 9 and 19 extends below a respective portion of the supporting area 8, above each of which a pressure plate or cover 12, 13 is guided for movement in vertical direction. A suitable mode of guiding the pressing covers 12 and 13 shall be described later in connection with FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 shows that each pressing cover is supported for vertical movement on four resilient corner posts 14-17 and 18-21, respectively. These posts preferably consist of long helical tension springs either surrounding guide rods or, preferably, extending through guide tubes which are pivotally connected to cranks arranged within the housing 1 as more fully described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 7. Of these parts only the springs are rigidly secured to the pressing cover. The rods ortubes may be spaced from the cover.

The posts 14, 15, 18, 19 are arranged along one longitudinal edge of the housing and the posts 16, 17, 2t 21 are disposed along the other longitudinaledge so that a sheet of copy material may be pushed upon the supporting area 8 from the front end, i.e. that side at which the developing device is arranged. It is also possible to provide, particularly for the rear pressing cover 13, at the rear transverse edge a vertically adjustable hinge-like pivoting connection which simultaneously could serve as an abutment preventing the material from being pushed beyond the rear edge.

Each of the pressing covers 12, 13 is operable by a i crank 22, 23 movable into positions in which the pressing covers 12, 13 are raised to the position shown in FIG. 1 in which they are spaced from the supporting area and into a second or lower position in which the pressing covers are resiliently pulled downwardly into contacting engagement with the supporting area 8 by the tension of the springs of the respective corner posts. This lower position is shown, for example, for the pressing cover 13 in dot-dash lines in FIG. 3 at 13. This shows that the pressing cover 13 in its lower position forms an abutment for material introduced from the front beneath cover 12,

i.e. from an inlet 99 therefor defined by the posts 15 and 17 along one of the minor sides of the rectangular supporting plate 8 and level therewith.

Furthermore, a setting device 24 combined with an exposure time clock is arranged on the lower housing part 1. After presetting of the exposure clock, the group 9 of light sources associated with the pressing cover 12 may be switched on automatically.

A preferred mechanism for coupling the cranks 2.2 and 23 is provided within the lower housing part 1 as shown in FIG. 2. The actuating lever 25 for this coupling is shown also in FIG. 1.

The cranks 22, 23 each serve to rotate respective shafts 26, 27 carrying eccentrics or cranks for guiding the posts 14-21 (not illustrated in FIG. 2). Mounted on each shaft 25, 27 is a respective bevel gear 28, 29 driving, via additional bevel gears 30, 31, coaxially aligned shafts 32, 33 arranged within the housing in parallel relation to the adjacent longitudinal wall. These shafts 32, 33 are connected to the respective clutch members of the coupling 34. By setting the actuating lever 25, the shafts 32, 33 may be coupled whereby, for example, also the shaft 27 may be driven by the crank 22. It should be noted that in this case the crank 23 could be omitted.

The clutch 34 operates, for example, with a wedge-like camming surface translating a pivoting movement of the lever 25 about the axis of the clutch into an axial movement of one coupling member, thereby interengaging the two coupling members.

FIG. 4 shows a wiring diagram for a switching circuit controlling the exposure means. The circuit is connected to the electric mains or some other energy source 35. The unit 35 may also comprise the drive motor for the pair of squeezing rollers 6 (FIG. 3) of the developing device and may, for example, be arranged within the stepped portion 2 of the housing 1 in a separate chamber adjacent to the developing device 3. The terminal leads 36, 37 of source 35 may include a switch 38 operable by the crank 22. This switch 38 may, for example, be actuated by a cam 39 (FIG. 2) mounted on the shaft 26. Simultaneously this cam 39 may serve to start the exposure clock 24 which co-operates with a separate switch 40 so as to, open it after the set time has elapsed. The switch 40 is also acted upon by the cam 39 in such a way that it is closed when the pressing cover 12 is raised with respect to the supporting area 8 after the switch 38 has been reversed by a corresponding movement of the crank 22.

It will be seen that the group 9 of light sources is connected in this control circuit. The group It? may additionally be included in the circuit by another switch 41 which, for example, may be closed if the actuating lever 25 of the clutch 34 is moved in a sense of engaging the clutch and is opened upon disengagement thereof.

The apparatus shown schematically in FIGS. 5 and 6 offers a different solution of the problem. Above a boxlike lower part 4-2 of the apparatushaving, for example, the same horizontal outline as the lower housing part 1a box-like upper part 45, which is rigidly arranged on uprights '43, 44, has a continuously extending transparent supporting area 46 arranged at its lower end above which there are provided downwardly facing groups or arrays of exposure-light sources corresponding to the groups 9 and 10. Within the intermediate space below the supporting area 46 and the top of the lower part 42 there are suspended two pressing covers 48, 49, for example on strips 54, 55, 56, 57 windable on shafts or rollers 50, 51, 52, 53. Each of the strips is provided at its lower part, i.e. directly above the pressing covers 48, 49, with a spring 58, 59, 60, 61. It is to be understood that such an arrangement is provided adjacent each of the longitudinal housing walls. The pressing covers are moved into resilient contacting engagement against the supporting area, e.g. by rotating the windlasses 50, 51 or 52, 53 associated with one of the pressing covers by lockable cranks 81, 82, thereby winding the strips on the rollers and causing tensioning of the springs 58, 59, 60, 61 at the end of the winding operation. The rollers 50 to 53 are spaced from the supporting area 46 by a distance greater than the length of the tensioned springs 58 to 61. A lateral inlet 99a is again provided substantially at the level of the transparent plate 46.

The pressure plates or covers 48, 49 may be suspended in such a manner that the edges facing the uprights 44 are disposed somewhat lower than the opposite rear edges whereby a smooth. passage from one cover to the other is assured when the copy material is introduced. Moreover, the actuating means of both covers may be adapted for selective interconnecting by a clutch, generally as described above.

The lower part 42 is provided with a stepped portion 62 for the developing device corresponding to the stepped portion 2 of the first embodiment. In addition, a continuously operating exposure device 63 accessible from one side may be arranged within the lower part and adjacent thereto a subdivided shelf for supplies of copy material.

FIG. 6 shows that at least the front support of housing portion 45 is made of two parts 44, 44' so as to be able to pass the material between the two parts on to the cover.

For example, the pressing cover 48 or 49 may be dimensioned for a sheet size according to DIN A3 (11.9" x 16.54), with its longer side extending transversely. Also the developing device within the stepped portion 62 can be adapted to this size. The continuously operating exposure device 63 may be arranged for the size DIN A4 (8.27 x 11.9") so that a sheet of this size may be processed by introducing it from the side while larger sizes are processed by the surface exposure device in housing part 45. This apparatus is especially adapted for use in engineering or drafting ofiices or the like.

FIG. 7 shows as an example in a schematical manner a preferred embodiment of the resilient corner posts 16, 17 of FIG. 1. The pressing cover 12 is guided above the supporting area 8 and supported at its corners by the posts 14, 15, 16, 17. These posts are pivotally connected in pairs 15, 17 and 14, 16, respectively, to cranks 65, 66 and 67, 68, respectively, mounted on shafts 69, 70 rotatably supported within the housing and drivably connected by transmission means 71 with a hand crank 22. In the raised position of the pressing cover the crank 65 engages a stationary abutment 72 fixed on the housing. In this position the guide tube 73 maintains the pressing cover 12 elevated and the spring 74 extending through the tube 73 is relaxed. In the lower position of the crank 65, shown in dashed lines at 65', the pressing cover 12 is drawn into contacting engagement against the supporting area 8, the crank 65 engages another abutment 85, and the spring 74 is tensioned, since the distance between the raised pressing cover 12 and the supporting area 8 is smaller than the distance between the limiting positions of the free end of the crank. The guide tube 73, which has been drawn downwardly by the crank 65, moves away from the pressing cover 12. The post 16 has been illustrated in a sectional view to show the construction and it will be noted that its tube 75, shown in section, surrounds the helical spring 76 which is secured at the lower end to pin 83 of the crank 67 and on top at 84 to the pressing cover 12, the tube 75 being merely secured to the pin 83 of the crank 67. The short guide sleeves 77, 78, 79, 80

shown in section are arranged within the housing below the supporting area 8 or, if desired, directly in the zone of this supporting area, but do not extend upwardly beyond the associated corner posts. If the cranks are so dimensioned with respect to the diameter of the guide sleeves 77 to 80 that the tubes would undergo excessive lateral shifting, the bearing pins between the cranks 65 to 68 and the tubes 73, 75 may be guided in slots.

It is to be understood that the connections between the shafts 69, andthe posts 14 to 17 may also be achieved by other means, such as toothed connections (gears on the shafts and racks).

What is claimed:

1. In a contact-copying device for the photoreproduction of an image of a master upon a copy sheet by juxtaposing said master and said copy sheet and exposing them to light while so disposed, in combination,

(a) housing means forming an enclosure and provided with at least one light-transmissive, generally planar horizontal wall of generally rectangular configuration, said housing means being provided at one of the minor sides of the rectangle and externally of said enclosure Withan inlet for said master and copy sheet substantially at the level of said horizontal wall;

(b) at least two pressure plates substantially con tiguously disposed along said wall at different distances from said inlet and individually displaceable toward said Wall and away therefrom for alternately compressing said master and said copy sheet against said wall and releasing them;

(c) respective guide means supported on said housing along the major sides of said rectangle for enabling individual displacement of each of said plates with respect to said wall, said plates being adapted to cover respective areas of said wall upon movement toward said wall;

(d) respective arrays of light sources within said enclosure along a side of said Wall opposite said plates, each of said arrays being so disposed and arranged so as to illuminate a corresponding one of said areas;

(e) actuating means on said housing coupled with said plates for the selective displacement of one and a plurality of said plates toward and away from said wall, the plate more remote from said inlet being positionable in contacting relationship with said wall and having an edge extending generally parallel to said inlet and adjacent the other of said plates for constituting an abutment for said master and said copy sheet upon their insertion between the lastmentioned plate and said wall; and

(f) respective circuit means in said housing operatively connected with said arrays and including respective switch means for individually energizing said light sources of a respective array upon displacement of a corresponding pressure plate toward said wall.

2. In a contact-copying device for the photoreproduction of an image of a master upon a copy sheet by juxtaposing said master and said copy sheet and exposing them to light while so disposed, in combination,

(a) housing means forming an enclosure and provided with at least one light-transmissive, generally planar wall;

(b) a plurality of pressure plates substantially contiguously disposed along said wall and individually displaceable toward said Wall and away therefrom for alternately compressing said master and said copy sheet against said wall and releasing them;

(c) respective guide means on said housing for each of said plates enabling displacement thereof with respect to said wall, said plates being adapted to cover respective areas of said wall upon movement toward said wall;

(d) respective arrays of light sources within said enclosure along a side of said wall opposite said plates, each of said arrays being so disposed and arranged as to illuminate a corresponding one of said areas;

(e) actuating means on said housing coupled with said plates for the selective displacement of one and a plurality of said plates toward and away from said wall; and

(f) respective circuit means in said housing operatively connected with said arrays and including respective switch means for individually energizing said light sources of a respective array upon displacement of a corresponding pressure plate toward said wall; said actuating means including a respective actuating element operatively connected with each of said plates, and manually settable clutch means for selectively interconnecting said elements and disconnecting them from one another for the selective joint displacement of said plates and individual displacement of said one of said plates toward said wall, said actuating element of said one of said plates being provided with manual operating means for displacing same. 7

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein the switch means associated with the array corresponding to said one of said pressure plates is operable by the respective one of said actuating elements, further comprising means interconnecting said clutch means and another of said switch means for connecting the array associated with said other of said switch means in circuit with the switch means associated with said one of said plates for energization of a plurality of said arrays upon operation of the actuating element of said one of said plates with said clutch means in a position for operatively interconnecting said elements for joint actuation.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said wall is generally rectangular and said guide means are disposed along the longitudinal edges of said wall whereby said master and said copy sheet can be inserted between said plates and said wall between the guide means along said longitudinal edges, said other of said plates being positionable in contacting relationship with said wall and having an edge extending generally transversely to said longitudinal edges and adjacent said one of said plates for constituting an abutment for said master and said copy sheet'upon their insertion between said guide elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,086,487 2/14 Vermillion 73 1,231,173 6/17 Knapp 95-73 2,127,601 8/38 Iaffe 95-73 2,732,778 1/56 Limberger 9577.5 2,946;272 7/60 Eisner et al. 9i577.5

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A CONTACT-COPYING DEVICE FOR THE PHOTOREPRODUCTION OF AN IMAGE OF A MASTER UPON A COPY SHEET BY JUXTAPOSING SAID MASTER AND SAID COPY SHEET AND EXPOSING THEM TO LIGHT WHILE SO DISPOSED, IN COMBINATION, (A) HOUSING MEANS FORMING AN ENCLOSURE AND PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE LIGHT-TRANSMISSIVE, GENERALLY PLANAR HORIZONTAL WALL OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CONFIGURATION, SAID HOUSING MEANS BEING PROVIDED AT ONE OF THE MINOR SIDES OF THE RECTANGLE AND EXTERNALLY OF SAID ENCLOSURE WITH AN INLET FOR SAID MASTER AND COPY SHEET SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE LEVEL OF SAID HORIZONTAL WALL; (B) AT LEAST TWO PRESSURE PLATES SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUSLY DISPOSED ALONG SAID WALL AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FROM SAID INLET AND INDIVIDUALLY DISPLACEABLE TOWARD SAID WALL AND AWAY THEREFROM FOR ALTERNATELY COMPRESSING SAID MASTER AND SAID COPY SHEET AGAINST SAID WALL AND RELEASING THEM; (C) RESPECTIVE GUIDE MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID HOUSING ALONG THE MAJOR SIDES OF SAID RECTANGLE FOR ENABLING INDIVIDUAL DISPLACEMENT OF EACH OF SAID PLATES WITH RESPECT TO SAID WALL, SAID PLATES BEING ADAPTED TO COVER RESPECTIVE AREAS OF SAID WALL UPON MOVEMENT TOWARD SAID WALL; (D) RESPECTIVE ARRAYS OF LIGHT SOURCES WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE ALONG A SIDE OF SAID WALL OPPOSITE SAID PLATES, EACH OF SAID ARRAYS BEING SO DISPOSED AND ARRANGED SO AS TO ILLUMINATE A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID AREAS; (E) ACTUATING MEANS ON SAID HOUSING COUPLED WITH SAID PLATES FOR THE SELECTIVE DISPLACEMENT OF ONE AND A PLURALITY OF SAID PLATES TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID WALL, THE PLATE MORE REMOTE FROM SAID INLET BEING POSITIONABLE IN CONTACTING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID WALL AND HAVING AN EDGE EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID INLET AND ADJACENT THE OTHER OF SAID PLATES FOR CONSTITUTING AN ABUTMENT FOR SAID MASTER AND SAID COPY SHEET UPON THEIR INSERTION BETWEEN THE LASTMENTIONED PLATE AND SAID WALL; AND (F) RESPECTIVE CIRCUIT MEANS IN SAID HOUSING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID ARRAYS AND INCLUDING RESPECTIVE SWITCH MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY ENERGIZING SAID LIGHT SOURCE OF A RESPECTIVE ARRAY UPON DISPLACEMENT OF A CORRESPONDING PRESSURE PLATE TOWARD SAID WALL. 